


A Safe Choice

by madamehomesecretary



Category: Bodyguard (TV 2018)
Genre: Alternate Ending, Alternate Universe, F/M, Julia Montague Lives, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-12
Updated: 2019-03-12
Packaged: 2019-11-16 00:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18083777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madamehomesecretary/pseuds/madamehomesecretary
Summary: “I know I’m meant to be on stage right now,” Julia told him, glancing at a clock in the corner. “But I just needed to say something before I go out there. David, when you came into my service a month ago, I didn’t know what to make of you."What would have happened if Julia’s arrival at St. Matthew’s had been delayed?





	A Safe Choice

**Author's Note:**

> My first attempt at a David/Julia fic. Thanks to Linn and Victoria for keeping me in check, always.

_“Not just because it’s your job … but because it’s our choice.”_

Our choice.

The Home Secretary’s words echoed in his head over and over again as he escorted her downstairs toward the St. Matthew’s auditorium. Taking in their surroundings, the halls were eerily quiet, unlike the streets outside of the college when the secretary had been ushered in. He had wrapped his arm around her shoulders for her safety, pushing her through the door quickly as someone just missed hitting her with an egg. He kept his arm there a little too long for her comfort as she pulled away, both uncertain about what would happen next.

David Budd had never seen this coming. When he was assigned as Julia Montague’s PPO, he was prepared to hate her. He had his list of reasons at the ready, having repeatedly watched television interviews of her prattling off on issues he thought were laughable. Her stance on the war made him angry. He would know, because he even went as far to research her voting record before he ever met her.

And then he met her. A smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of his mouth, thinking of that day. Julia was curt, and blew him off without a second thought. And he was smitten from the moment he saw her, voting record be damned.

_“I’m late for a meeting,” she told him shortly before turning and walking away. His eyes followed her as she entered the building. Home Secretary Julia Montague … This was going to be interesting._

David was brought back to the present as Julia glanced back at him with a small reassuring smile as they made their way down the corridor. In public, they had to keep their distance, more emotionally than physical, of course. It was his job to make sure everything came across as professional and nothing more. This part of the job was the hardest. They were relegated to hidden looks and discreet touches, and even then, the risk level was high. But then she smiled at him, and it all seemed worth it then. Just the way she looked at him was enough to make his heart skip a beat. Who was he? He didn’t know Smitten!David.

He and Vicky had fallen in love when they were merely children. And shortly after their marriage, they had Ella and then Charlie. They had been really, truly happy. He still believed that. Then he left for the war, and when he returned, nothing was the same. The nightmares came swiftly and the PTSD was out of control. Vicky wanted him to get help, but he refused. He was stronger than that. He didn’t need help, he told her. He was fine. The struggle wasn’t something he cared to acknowledge, and Vicky finally gave up. She washed her hands of him as her husband, though legally they were still married, as he became just a dad who shared his weekends with his kids.

David knew now he needed help. He couldn’t put it off any longer. Julia had helped him see that. When he woke up with his hands wrapped tightly around her neck, with her clawing at him to set her free from his grasp, he was shocked. It had never been that bad before. He jumped back as if he had been burned. That was when he knew. Julia was right. Vicky had been right. He needed help. And he was going to get it. For both of them. For his children. And for himself.

Julia could tell David was lost in thought as he followed closely behind her, but of course, his eyes never left her. How quickly she had become accustomed to always having him two steps behind her. On the off days when he wasn’t around, or when he was spending time with his children, she missed him being there.

Strong, independent Home Secretary Julia Montague would have scoffed at the thought only weeks before. She had never “needed” a man. But something was different about having David around. He helped her feel alive again, like she had a purpose other than placating the male egos of the British government. Most of all, he made her see things differently. She hadn’t told him, but their intimate discussion under white cotton sheets at the Blackwood Hotel only a few mornings ago had truly impacted her.

David’s confession about wanting to be a doctor made her smile. He would be a great doctor. But he hadn’t had access to what he needed to make his dream come true, and that saddened her. So much so that she had altered a part of her speech for today to particularly include a nod to the medical field. That was her ‘for him’ moment. She wanted him to know that she had heard him. That she always heard him.

Laying beside him that morning had been a metaphor. One that came to fruition in the green room here at St. Matthew’s as she confessed where her head had been all morning. She was sure her admission had taken him by surprise. The Home Secretary had watched his face fall as he thought she was casting him out of her life.

_“You being my PPO makes this difficult anyway…" A beat. "It’s for the best that changes.”_

_The disappointment showed clearly on his face as he nodded and she felt a pang in her chest for the confusion. He turned to leave the room and she grabbed for his hand, hesitating only for a moment. She had always been one to speak her mind._

_“I want you right beside me,” she told him. “Not because it’s your job,” she paused. “But because it’s our choice.”_

_She took note of his reaction as she smiled at him, her thumb brushing against his hand softly. His lips parted only slightly, and she caught the brief glimpse of surprise on his face before he returned to the professional manner she had become accustomed to seeing every day. The same professional manner that was abandoned every night when she found him on the other side of the door to his adjoining room._

_Julia had to admit that she had even surprised herself when the thought occurred about taking whatever this was to the next level. It wasn’t like her to be so impulsive. She was careful and methodical … being spontaneous was not her strongest trait. But with the thought came a weight that had been lifted off her shoulders as she felt a sort of flutter in her stomach._

_She had been thinking about it all morning, but wasn’t sure her timing was well-chosen. It had come on the heels of her moment of truth about the almost-attack at Heath Bank. She don’t know why she decided to tell him then, but she felt a weight lifted off her chest. And with her confession came the words that had been rattling around in her head for the better part of her day._

_Julia glanced down at their joined hands. Her words were careful as she weighed the best way to approach the subject._

_“There are … things we’ll need to discuss,” she said softly, knowing there would be opposition from every corner as Britain’s Home Secretary went public with her still-married PPO. The scandal would be outrageous. Returning her gaze to his, she felt her heart beat a little faster as David smiled. She loved when he really, genuinely smiled. The David Budd she first met outside of the Home Office hadn’t done it often._

_“Aye. Whatever you’d like, ma’am,” he said, balancing precariously between being professional and teasing her._

_They both had chuckled._

_Our choice._

Julia couldn’t place what it was that made her stop and look at David again on her way to the auditorium. The Home Secretary wasn’t publicly known for being warm and fuzzy, but she couldn’t wipe a silly smile off her face. That was the effect David had on her. The last month with him had changed her outlook on a lot of things. And she wanted to make sure he knew it.

“Can we stop for just a moment?” she asked, stepping from the main hallway outside of the auditorium into a small, empty administrative office. David eyed her uncertainty, looking around to make sure everything seemed to be normal before stepping into the office with her.

“Ma’am? Is everything alright? We probably shouldn’t --”

“I know I’m meant to be on stage right now,” she told him, glancing at a clock in the corner. “But I just needed to say something before I go out there. David, when you came into my service a month ago, I didn’t know what to make of you,” she told him honestly.

David gave her a wry smile, biting back a teasing comment. Instead, he remained silent and let her continue. He knew the consequences when Julia Montague was interrupted.

“I never expected this,” she said, both of them remembering a conversation in a doorway not that long ago. They hadn’t been handling their situation well, toeing a dangerous line of just sex and becoming something more.

“People are going to talk. There will be some serious repercussions for this. But I'm willing to look past all of that … And I hope you feel the same way.” She said the last part softly, uncertainly. She wouldn’t blame him if the pressure around the whole situation sent him running in the opposite direction. And yet, she hoped.

In response, David leaned forward stroking her face softly. Looking around quickly, he pressed his lips against hers, savoring the taste of her mouth. He could taste the peppermint gum she has been chewing in preparation for her speech. She smiled against his lips, her fingers toying in the short hair at the nape of his neck as she enjoyed the stolen moment.

Pulling away, he gave her a confident smile. “Our choice,” he said, repeating her own words back to her, interlacing his fingers with hers. David loved the way her fingers felt intertwined with his. It’s like they were meant to fit together. He knew there would need to be an in-depth discussion about all the details. About their careers, about his family, about them. But for now, his job was to get her on that stage.

“Ma’am. We should really be going.”

“I know, I know. Protocol…” she teased him, knowing he was right.

This speech was going to be covering the front page tomorrow, for more reason than one. She took a deep breath and nodded, stealing one more glimpse at him before they began to exit the room.

Opening the door, David poked his head into the hallway checking their surroundings.

“Seven-nine, Lavender on the move,” he said into his earpiece. “Received, seven-nine,” Kim replied.

As Julia and David moved toward the door that lead backstage, Kim came over David’s earpiece again. “Seven-nine, change in plans. Hold Lavender. Changes needed for the secretary’s speech.”

David turned to Julia as they entered the backstage area.

“One moment, ma’am. We’ll wait backstage until Tahir has switched out your script.”

Julia breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she had stopped for her conversation with David for more than one reason. This speech had to go perfectly. It could make or break her bid for Prime Minister.

David watched as Tahir placed a new page on the podium and he rested his hand gently on the small of Julia’s back, getting ready to usher her toward the stage. He gave her a bright smile. Tahir began to exit the stage, walking toward where Julia and David were waiting in the wings.

“Ready, ma’am?” David asked her, knowing she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. Julia was about to reply when a loud explosion erupted from the stage, sending both she and David flying backwards with extreme force.

Julia briefly heard screams from the audience and David crying out to her before everything faded to black.


End file.
